Two Brothers Farm Together and Protect Their Land Together

PHILADELPHIA, NY -- “When it’s time for me to leave this earth, I know I will be leaving my land better than how I found it,” stated fifth generation dairy farmer, William (Bill) Gleisner, “I value the tranquility and peacefulness of the land – and I want to keep it that way.”

Bill Gleisner and his brother, Charles (Chuck), moved to the North Country in the late 1970s from Ohio looking for good farmland and somewhere they could call home. At the time, farmers in Ohio were being pushed out of their land due to development; Bill and Chuck knew they wanted to continue farming, or as Bill put it, “Once you get the manure under your fingernails, it is always there.”

Since then, Bill and Chuck have been farming together in the Town of Philadelphia, NY. But now, they have done something more – they have protected their land, ensuring it will remain available for agricultural purposes, and compatible uses, forever. Fort Drum, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust and Ducks Unlimited partnered with the Gleisner brothers through the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program.

The purpose of the ACUB program is to limit use or development of property near the Fort Drum installation to agricultural and forestry uses. This minimizes encroachment while protecting conservation values and open space. Encroachment is defined here as urban development surrounding military installations that negatively affect the ability of the military to train realistically.

"The North Country is a special place, and it is partnerships like thesethat make Fort Drum so unique,” stated Michael H. McKinnon, Fort Drum Deputy Garrison Commander. “From the early days when the 10th Mountain Division was activated, the North Country community embraced the military as one of its own. Today, the ACUB program continues in that same tradition and is a great example of neighbors working together to protect family farms, while preserving Fort Drum's training capability well into the future."

The ACUB program benefits the Army, as well as the land trust and the landowner. The Army maintains or enhances training capabilities, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust protects open space, and the landowner is paid not to develop their land, and in this case, the landowners will continue to farm.

After thirty years of working the land together, the Gleisner brothers are still at it. “We work together; we bail hay together – we do everything together, and that’s something special that not many families have,” explains Bill.

With six children and three grandchildren he is hoping to keep the land in his family, “Hopefully one day my kids will take over the farm and keep it going, but even if they don’t I can rest in peace knowing that it will not be developed. Someone will be able to farm it, and that’s the most important thing to me.”

Totaling 274 acres, Bill and Chuck Gleisner’s farms are the fifth and sixth properties to be protected by Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust through the ACUB program. With the addition of these properties, over 1,300 acres have been conserved with agricultural agreements through the ACUB conservation partnership program.

“The ACUB program strengthens our local farming community by providing financial resources to these farm families,” explained Linda Garrett, Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust Executive Director, “The Gleisner brothers are leaders in our community; they have a great connection to their land and share a passion for the long-term importance of farming. Through this program they will be able to either invest the funds they receive back into the farm or pass it on to the next generation – and most importantly the land will continue to be available for agriculture.”

When participating with the ACUB program, farm families work with Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust and Ducks Unlimited to create a conservation plan for the property. The plan addresses immediate and long-term goals, while ensuring flexibility for future operations. Farm families are then paid through the ACUB program for the appraised value of their non-farm development rights, as determined by a state-qualified appraiser familiar with this type of conservation project. The properties remain in private ownership and stay on the tax rolls. The farmers are not told how to farm or manage their land in the agreement, as Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust believes farmers are important stewards of the land.

Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust and the Army have worked in partnership with Ducks Unlimited as part of the ACUB program when a farm or property contains bird habitat that the farmer and Ducks Unlimited are interested in conserving. This beautiful and productive land and its associated wetlands will now be able to provide important wildlife habitat.

Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust is a nonprofit regional community-based organization that works with local landowners to protect and foster responsible stewardship practices of working forests and farms. The organization also hosts educational and recreational programs free to the community to help connect children and families to the land within the Tug Hill region.

Recognized for its collaborative and innovative efforts

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT), a small Florida land trust that took a chance and advocated successfully for a county tax bond referendum, was selected by the Land Trust Alliance from among more than 1,700 land trusts across the country to receive its National Land Trust Excellence Award. The award was presented at Rally 2013: The National Land Conservation Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 17, 2013.

“Alachua Conservation Trust is honored to be chosen to receive this award. It is a reflection of the years of dedication, creativeness and perseverance of our talented staff, board members, volunteers, partners and generous supporters that allow us to carry out our mission of protecting Florida's natural and scenic places each day. ACT has benefited tremendously from the leadership, energy and ingenuity of its past executive directors Robert ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson and Lauren Day,” said Tom Kay, executive director.

ACT, an accredited land trust, is being recognized for its collaborative and innovative efforts in policy and creative funding as well as its broad education and outreach initiatives. Since 1988, ACT has helped to preserve more than 50,000 acres of land in North Central Florida. ACT’s success in spearheading the Alachua County Forever property tax bond referendum enabled it to acquire over 18,000 acres of natural areas. ACT operates four public preserves, conducts dozens of environmental education classes annually and operates Prairie Creek Lodge for art, cultural and alternative health education. ACT continues to build a family of organizations and programs to expand the reach of its conservation mission in the community.

ACT’s family of organizations and programs includes Conservation Burial, Inc., Tuscawilla Learning Center, Sandhill Stage, Forage Farm, Springs Eternal and Historic Haile Homestead, Inc. The efforts of its partners have expanded ACT’s reach in the community, and ACT is grateful for all the enthusiasm, cooperation and passion of its partners. Together the organizations complement one another’s missions and are committed not only to conserving more of Florida’s special places, but also to building a better community along the way.

When presenting the award, Michael Dowling, Land Trust Alliance chairman of the board, said “Today’s tough national political climate is having consequences on the ground throughout America and, in response, we are seeing some innovative and amazing initiatives. This year’s National Land Trust Excellence Award celebrates the work of this small but effective land trust in central Florida.”

About Alachua Conservation Trust

In Florida, ACT is one of only two local land trusts that are in the top 50 nationwide in both acres and value of lands protected. In 2009 they became accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. ACT has set the curve in diversity of projects – from easements, to historic preservation, to outright acquisitions, to environmental education. ACT has partnered with many conservation organizations along the way, including ongoing projects with The Nature Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, The Conservation Fund, Putnam Land Conservancy and the Conservation Trust for Florida.

ACT has become the institution that most clearly projects this community's steadfast support of north Florida's natural beauty and rich heritage, on which we all agree is a legacy we must take responsibility for passing on to future generations. Learn more »

About The Land Trust Alliance

The Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization that works in three ways to save the places people love. First, we increase the pace of conservation, so more land and natural resources get protected. Second, we enhance the quality of conservation, so the most important lands get protected using the best practices in the business. And third, we ensure the permanence of conservation by creating the laws and resources needed to defend protected land over time. The Land Trust Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., and has several regional offices.

The seven Northeast states of New England and New York are the birthplace of land conservation in this country. Home to 35% of the country’s nearly 1,700 land trusts, the Northeast represents great tradition and accomplishment among land trusts of all sizes in the region. By 2005 national, local, and state conservation groups saved 8.47 million acres in the Northeast, 12.13% of the area’s total land mass.

Southern New England is dominated by small, single-town land trusts while most of Northern New England and New York contains regional land trusts working in one or more counties or watersheds, with both Vermont and Maine having large statewide land conservation organizations having a significant impact.

Challenges

Heavy development pressures and sprawl

impacts from climate change

rising land prices

inconsistent political support

few large tracts remaining

the fear of legal challenges to permanently conserved land

All of these challenges are threatening the pace at which meaningful conservation can be accomplished. With many small, all-volunteer land trusts throughout the region, such obstacles can seem daunting.

Hope

Heightened public awareness of the need for conservation is enabling significant advances in conservation under these challenging circumstances. Renewed interest in farmland protection catalyzed by “Eat Local” initiatives and community supported agriculture, an increased understanding of the value and civic role of urban green spaces and community gardens, growing interest and commitment in “smart growth” at state and local levels and a recognition that conserved land can potentially mitigate climate change is making land conservation a priority in many communities.